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The Nightingale

Popped along to the Luna the other night with Roly to see The Nightingale, Jennifer Kent's second feature after The Babadook. I've been vacillating about this film since then. I can't quite decide if I liked it or not and that's the nub of things. It's a beautiful film. And it's an unsettling film too. Set in 1825 Tasmania, it's humming with violence and the constant threat of it. This has apparently been a major turn-off for some audiences, with walk-outs and folk staying away from screenings. As confronting as this sexual and racial violence is, I reckon it's required viewing, especially for Australians unaware of our history. But I think the 'story' of the violence detracts a bit from the themes of trauma, companionship and trust that Aisling Franciosi and Baykali Ganambarr portray so well throughout.

The story is a pretty straightforward revenge journey and the scenes of the Tasmanian bush are amazing to see, betraying the horrors in and around the landscape. Much of The Nightingale reminded me of the excellent novel The Roving Party by Australian author Rohan Wilson. Do yourself a favour and dig this out.

A couple of quibbles. I found myself wondering if they couldn't maybe have trimmed 20 minutes from somewhere. I'm not quite sure where but it dropped the pace slightly in the second act. Another issue is the character played by Sam Claflin. He's the villain of the film and he's one of the most evil seen on screen for a while. But he has zero shade. No nuance whatsoever. Clearly, this is a creative choice and it could be argued that this kind of scum actually populated the colonies at the time, but he felt too panto for me.

The Nightingale is uncomfortable, stunning, powerful and an essential entry in the Australian film catalogue. But sadly, I reckon most people will give it a swerve.

See also:

Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout (1971) and John Hillcoat's The Proposition (2005) for similar story echoes.

SPOILERS IN POD!!

Listen to "The Nightingale" on Spreaker.

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